The invention relates to a device for locking a helmet to a bicycle, said helmet including a helmet shell having at least one through-going hole.
A cyclist should use a helmet in connection with the use of his/her bicycle. When the cyclist temporarily leaves his/her parked bicycle in order to do an errand of some sort it is often inconvenient to carry the helmet along. On the other hand there is a non-acceptable risk that the helmet becomes stolen if it is left with the parked bicycle without being locked to said bicycle. Certainly there are locking wire cables and locks available in the market, said devices allowing a temporary locking of the bicycle helmet to the bicycle, e.g. by running the wire cable through a hole in the helmet shell and through a closed loop on the bicycle before the ends of the wire cable are locked together. In connection with such a locking device there is still the problem with storing the locking device between the occasions of use.
The object of the invention is to realise a locking device that allows simple storing, in a space-saving way, of the locking device between the occasions of use, said locking device still allowing a quick and simple locking of the helmet to the bicycle when needed.
This object is realised by means of a device according to the appended claim 1.
Embodiments of the device are defined in,the appended independent claims.
According to a practical embodiment of the invention a locking rod, bent to L-shape, is provided, said locking rod thus having a short rod shank and a long rod shank. At each end of the rod a lock head is provided. A lock case is mounted, about longitudinally midways, on the frame pole of the bicycle, said frame pole supporting the saddle of the bicycle.
The lock case has an essentially forwardly extending and forwardly opening receiving channel for a lock head. The lock head, at each end of the rod, extends in direction of the adjoining end portion of the rod. The lock case is of a type that releases the lock head by being opened with an adherent key. Further, the lock case is preferably designed to receive, in a supporting way, a lock head by simply having said lock head axially inserted into the lock case.
Thanks to the L-shape of the rod, the long shank of the rod may extend downwards or upwards, generally parallel to the frame pole that supports the saddle, when the rod is not used for securing the helmet and when the short shank of the rod is locked in the lock case. On the contrary, when the rod is to be used for locking the helmet, it is released from the lock case and then its long shank is inserted through the opening or a pair of openings in the helmet shell, and subsequently the lock head of the long rod portion is pushed into the lock case.
The bent portion between the shanks of the rod may possibly be widened in order to prevent a pulling of the bicycle helmet off the locking rod secured to the bicycle, especially when the opening in the helmet shell is in the shape of an elongated slot.
According to a different embodiment a flexible cable or wire may have one end secured to the bicycle (e.g. secured to the lock case), while its other end supports a lock head that may be clamped in the lock case. In such a case the cable is inserted through the hole of the helmet shell before it is secured by means of its head in the lock case.
The invention will be described below by means of examples, reference being made to the enclosed drawing.